UEFA Cup a chore – Perrin

St Etienne’s battle for Ligue 1 survival is paramount and their continued involvement in the UEFA Cup is a undermining their chances of avoiding relegation, coach Alain Perrin said.

The French club host Werder Bremen on Wednesday with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. St Etienne lost the first leg 1-0 but Perrin said his side would not be trying to reach the last eight.

“I have noticed that whenever we play on the European stage, we lose or draw the following game in Ligue 1… The UEFA Cup is such a chore. We won’t try to go through when we take on Werder Bremen,” Perrin told L’Equipe on Monday.

St Etienne dropped to third from bottom in Ligue 1 after a 1-0 defeat at Grenoble on Sunday.

“If we qualify, we are going to be in real danger. I don’t want us to keep on squandering points in Ligue 1 because of the UEFA Cup,” Perrin added.

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